This is the tale that began in 2006 in my first year of beekeeping in Atlanta, GA. ...there's still so much to learn.

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I've been keeping this blog for all of my beekeeping years and I began my 12th year of beekeeping in April 2017. Now there are almost 1300posts on this blog. Please use the search bar below to search the blog for other posts on a subject in which you are interested. You can also click on the "label" at the end of a post and all posts with that label will show up. At the very bottom of this page is a list of all the labels I've used.

Even if you find one post on the subject, I've posted a lot on basic beekeeping skills like installing bees, harvesting honey, inspecting the hive, etc. so be sure to search for more once you've found a topic of interest to you. And watch the useful videos and slide showson the sidebar. All of them have captions. Please share posts of interest via Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

I began this blog to chronicle my beekeeping experiences. I have read lots of beekeeping books, but nothing takes the place of either hands-on experience with an experienced beekeeper or good pictures of the process. I want people to have a clearer picture of what to expect in their beekeeping so I post pictures and write about my beekeeping saga here. Along the way, I've passed a number of certification levels and am now a Master Beekeeper Enjoy with me as I learn and grow as a beekeeper.

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Master Beekeeper! HOORAY!

To reach the level of Master Beekeeper, you have to fulfill many qualifications. I got the Certified Beekeeper certificate in 2007 and was awarded Journey(wo)man in 2008.

Then all of this year I have been working on meeting the qualifications for Master Beekeeper. I have given talks to non-beekeeping groups, rescued swarms, run booths at eco-fairs, been interviewed on three Internet podcasts, run workshops (3 of them) at a regional meeting, provided hives for community gardens and many other things.

All of the evidence of my public service activities as well as five subspecialties had to be presented in a tabbed notebook which was turned in last Thursday afternoon. I had pictures to document all of my public service and specialty areas. I had saved emails and thank you notes, fliers and brochures. All of it went into this notebook!

Then a lot of us spent Thursday morning sitting in class cramming everything we could into our heads from lectures on current stuff that we might not know....including that an apis mellifera fossil has been discovered in Nevada that is native to North America. The name of this bee is: apis nearctica. And that was on the test.

Below you'll see Dr. Keith Delaplane. He is the head of the entomology department at the University of Georgia and the head of the Master Beekeeper program that brings us all the various certifications. He's laughing because we are nervously peeking into the room where he is grading our exams.

While ten or so people attended the Master Beekeeper lectures on Thursday morning, actually only three of us sat for the exam. Here we all nervously are, awaiting the results. We are all friends and members of the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association.

The Young Harris Beekeeping Institute, where we took this exam, draws participants from the region: Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina as well as all over Georgia, so it is rather remarkable that the three of us, Cindy, Jay and I, who sat for the exam were all from Atlanta and all from the Metro club.

In the end, with much relief, we were all awarded the Master Beekeeper certification level. There are currently ten living Master Beekeepers in the region and we add three to that number. There is also one Master Craftsman Beekeeper, Bill Owens, who is the only person in the state of Georgia to reach the highest possible level.

Here's the certificate:

The sweetest part of the event is that my friend Julia and her son, Noah, who were also at the Institute, wrote a song for me celebrating my getting the Master Beekeeper. They sang it to me, complete with Julia playing the guitar, after breakfast this morning. I will always remember that about this day.

Congratulations! I just received my Certified Beekeeper paper in the mail this month. You're an inspiration to keep going!I also really appreciate your blog with such high quality pictures and video. I just watched your crush and strain video before my first-ever harvest last week. It was just what I needed.CM

CONGRATULATIONS Linda! What an accomplishment! Love your blog & I check it frequently for updates, inspiration, & helpful hints to a beginning beekeeper. I can only imagine being a "Master." Should I call you YODA??

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Linda in her beesuit

Atlanta Beekeeping Meetup Group

7 PM on the third Tuesday of the month at the First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs (650 Mount Vernon Highway NE, Sandy Springs, GA). Want to talk bees with like-minded beekeepers who want to discuss things about bees?

Join us for interesting discussions about keeping bees in the many ways that people do. Click here to find our Meetup group page.

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Great Quote from Richard Taylor, beekeeper and writer

"There are a few rules of thumb that are useful guides. One is that when you are confronted with some problem in the apiary and you do not know what to do, then do nothing. Matters are seldom made worse by doing nothing and are often made much worse by inept intervention." --The How-To-Do-It book of Beekeeping, Richard Taylor

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Thanks for visiting my blog and following my beekeeping adventure!

This site is listed on many websites across the country as a good site for beginners to visit. Blogger tells me that there are over 1300 posts on this blog for you to explore. There are slide shows and videos on the sidebar addressing beekeeping challenges like harvesting, solar wax melters, and doing hive inspections.

I may have already addressed a bee issue which is on your mind. The search feature will send you to the most recent post on a subject. Be sure to keep looking because I've posted a lot on many issues. Use the Google search feature on this page will help you search this site to find posts dealing with your question.

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